First Love
by tivaplease
Summary: Nikolas finds that relationships arise when you least expect it when he meets someone new. prior to his live in port charles. Not sure on rating so just did T to be safe. my do this as a crossover with Once upon a time.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: since this is really just a short story I put the update within the chapter. You can think of the line break as the divider with the update below. I also plan to and another update but have not finished it yet. if this is the first time you are reading this just think of the dividers as phases in their relationship.**

Nikolas was sick of being told that he would be 18 years old next year and that he needed to choose an appropriate wife. He had grown up on his family's private island off the coast of Greece and had never really known anybody outside of the family and their servants. Wanting to marry for love and not for his family hierarchy he didn't know how to pick a wife; he had never been in love. When his uncle left him alone for the afternoon to complete his studies, he snuck off the island. Because Macedonia, Turkey, Bulgaria, & Albania were too close so he sailed towards Italy. Once he got to Italy he headed to the nearest shopping center with lots of different stores and restaurants. Nikolas was in one of the clothing stores when he noticed a rather large man following a petite black-haired woman. Feeling the need to protect this young woman Nikolas joined the large man who was waiting outside of the womens' dressing rooms. It wasn't long before he saw the girl leave in blue jeans, a black jacket, a red shirt and red tennis shoes instead of the black dress she went in wearing. When the large man just sat there waiting, Nikolas said, "I am not waiting anymore. If someone asks I am going to the shoe department" in perfect Italian. Nodding in agreement, he watched Nikolas leave.

As Nikolas caught up to the girl, she was at the cash register of a bookstore trying to buy a puzzle book. The cashier looked a little annoyed because the line was growing and the girl was digging through her back unable to pay for her purchase at the moment, so Nikolas walked up and paid the cashier. Handing her the book he said in Italian, "It is alright…" but was cut off by the girl, "What do you want? No one does something for nothing." Startled by her blunt English, Nikolas didn't answer. At that she shoved the book back at him and walked away. Running after the girl Nikolas explained in English, "I am sorry. The cashier just looked annoyed so I thought I would help out. I don't want anything from you. I just needed to know you were alright." At her confused look he continued, "I saw the gentleman following you in the clothing store and wanted to make sure you weren't still being followed. I don't want you to get hurt." Smiling at his sincerity she explained that the man was supposed to be her guard and her family didn't really let her do things normally. With that in common Nikolas found that he spent the entire day talking to her about family without mentioning that he was a Russian prince.

The next morning he found that he missed talking to someone besides his family and really wanted to see her again so any chance he got he snuck of the island to see her. And at that he found the most unexpected friendship as they hung out talking, going out to eat, doing puzzles, watching movies, or exercising. Within weeks he found that they had to hide from her family because they were dangerous. Not really alarmed because his family was too and that's why he never brought her to the island. He didn't want to change her perspective of him by telling her the truth that he was a prince and he definitely didn't want his uncle or grandmother scaring her off. Oddly it was the moments they were hiding that he enjoyed most. She would hold his hand, pull on his arm, or shove him out of sight, but pressed against her he found that he wanted more than a friendship with her. Afraid of her rejection and ruining their friendship he rarely said anything of the nature. When he did it was always too late. Others showed up or the guards had past either way she had moved and he wound up alone talking to himself or falling into the wall when he tried to kiss her.

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><p>No more than three months into their friendship, Nikolas came across her family. Sitting around a table at lunch he found Claudia and her Uncle Rudy accompanied by two gentlemen discussing not much in general. Knowing he was supposed to stay away from her family, Nikolas was about to leave when he saw the man sitting to Claudia's left put his hand on her leg rubbing the inside above her knee. When she didn't make him remove his hand, Nikolas got a little angry but stayed back watching. Claudia was looking at her uncle but he just looked at the other two men and then left with the third man that was across from Claudia. Now alone with the man Claudia looked around uncomfortably as he ran his hand further up her dress to her inner thigh. Unable to stop himself, Nikolas lunged at the man and yelled at him to stay away from her. Afraid Claudia pulled Nikolas away from the man yelling, "What is wrong with you?". Dragging Claudia by the hand out of the restaurant, Nikolas yelled back at her, "What's wrong with me. What is wrong with you that man had his hands all over you." Taking a few breaths to calm herself down she tried to reason, "And … that does not give you the right to barge in. You could have gotten hurt. My family and their associates are dangerous people."<p>

Frustrated that Claudia didn't see this as a problem, Nikolas got closer almost in her face, "So, I don't like seeing other men put their hands on you. You are a smart, strong woman and you should not let guys touch you like that…" with her smiling at him he became flustered, "…What. How. Why are you smiling? I am serious. You should not let other men touch you like that." Still smiling she got a little closer to his face and said somewhat condescendingly, "You said 'other' men. Are you thinking about putting your hands on me." Putting his right hand on her cheek, he smirked and pulled her closer to him with his left arm around her waist closing the distance between them completely and kissed her with everything he had. After a few moments she pulled away catching her breath. Disheartened Nikolas started to apologize because while he wanted to be more than friends he didn't want to lose her. Wrapping her arms around his neck she agreed that she didn't want to lose their friendship but said she wanted to try as long as they took it slow and could promise to stay friends. Giddy with excitement Nikolas agreed and went in to kiss her but this time she kissed him back.

For the next three months everything continued much the same as the last three months expect that Claudia & Nikolas now spent a lot of time kissing when they hung out & frequently held hands. One night when her uncle & his men were out on business Nikolas snuck in & they were in the middle of what was quickly becoming a make-out session in her bedroom, Claudia suddenly pulled away from him when he touched her. Not sure what was wrong he asked, "Did I do something to hurt you?" Answering quickly, Claudia responded, "No, it's not that. I just thought we were taking things slow in that area." Slightly confused Nikolas said, "I am sorry. I didn't realize I was pushing you. I have never really been intimate with anyone before. I was just trying to hold you close." Calming down Claudia answered slowly, "Oh, I guess that is ok…Sorry I freaked out for nothing…wait…you are a virgin." Unsure of how to answer her in an appropriate manner, Nikolas almost whispered, "Yeah, I am. You are the only girl I've been this close with… Have you been with other guys…before you met me, I mean?" Not really wanting to answer him Claudia looked away from him, "I,…um, I am not…I mean that I" Sensing her discomfort, Nikolas scooted over to her & brushed her long black hair out of her face, "It is ok if you have."

Trying not so cry as she explained, Claudia answered, "Yeah, I was with two other guys when I was still in the states. My first, uh boyfriend, I guess you could call him, was older than me and really didn't take well to waiting until I was ready so we slept together a few times but when I stopped our physical relationship he ultimately ended everything." Rubbing her arm Nikolas interrupted, "It's ok. He was just an imbecal. You know I would never do that to you." Smiling a little at him she continued, "Maybe not the same way but it gets worse. The other guy, Trevor was my dad's lawyer. I knew he was scum. He had been for years, but my father would not listen to my mother, or even my little brother so I thought I would get rid of him." Seeing the confusion on his face because he figured out that usually when her family got rid of someone you didn't find them again, Claudia continued, "Trevor had always said how pretty I was or that I was growing into a beautiful woman. He found every excuse he could to put his hands on me, and I just thought… I knew my father would be outside his office attending to Maria's roses. He was supposed to see his lawyer, a full grown adult man, screwing his teenage daughter. I thought he would at least fire Trevor but he just yelled at me and shipped me off to Italy."

By now Claudia was wiping the tears out of her eyes and trying to hide from him, but Nikolas just held her tighter alternating between rubbing her back, stroking her hair, and saying that it was going to be alright. She didn't really believe him when he told her that it was not her fault and that they (those men) were the ones in the wrong. He told her his general opinion of her father, trying not to upset her too much. Nikolas hated her father. He had never wished anyone dead but he would have loved to see her father see feet under. Of course he couldn't tell her this so he just kept telling her it wasn't her fault & he still found her beautiful and would wait until it was the right time. When she finally looked him in the eyes she could see that it was true. Nikolas was so genuine she couldn't believe that he was interested in her, but he proved it when he kissed her with just as much love as he did before she told him about her past relations.

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><p>It had been over four months since Nikolas and Claudia discussed their relationship and true to his word Nikolas patiently waited for her. Although Claudia now believed his intentions were true and she deserved better than what she had, Claudia agreed with Nikolas that it was more than just a physical act and should be at the right time. As time went by, Claudia grew to love Nikolas and knew she was ready to be with him. While she tried to subtly tell him this, he didn't seem to get the message. Picking up on her hints Nikolas was planning the perfect moment for Claudia. He wanted her to know she was loved and deserved the best even if her past made her think differently.<p>

Nikolas left the island early before anyone else was up and had a chance to stop him. He met Claudia at the bookstore they first talked at so they could grab a puzzle book. Yawning Claudia teased him, "Seriously, you wanted me to get out of bed before the sun is up to get a puzzle book. I think you are obsessed." Trying not to laugh, Nikolas responded, "No, I did not get you out of bed for a puzzle. I thought we could have breakfast before we headed out for the day." Intrigued she inquired, "Out where?" as she snuggled up next to him. Her attempts to get him to tell her didn't work; he just said that it was a surprise so she said, "what if I leave? Maybe I want to go to bed." Moving in to kiss her, Nikolas said, "Well, you can do that later. You will want your surprise." Moaning into him she finally agreed to breakfast and her surprise.

After breakfast, Nikolas and Claudia headed north through Italy along the west coast hitting Naples and Rome for short shopping visits before traveling to Marseille, France. Throughout the afternoon, Nikolas and Claudia toured the countryside and visited the castles. Nikolas kept debating with himself and half-heartedly tried to tell Claudia who he really was. She seemed to love the castles but he didn't know how she would take it and didn't want to ruin their perfect day. However, their perfect day didn't last. While sailing to their final destination, it started pouring down rain. Frustrated with the weather, Nikolas complained that his plans were ruined. Unable to stop herself Claudia laughed and then kissed him in the rain; "Nikolas, It's fine. Just a little rain" she said. Feeling that the evening was ruined, Nikolas explained, "I thought we could have a nice romantic candlelight dinner outside." Trying to correct the situation, Claudia asked, "Well, do you have the food? And the candles?" Not sure where she was going, Nikolas answered tentatively, "Yes, I prepared the dinner and packed it as a picnic with the candles and lighter." Smiling at him she said, "Then we can have our candlelit picnic here." Laughing at her like it was the most obvious thing, he responded, "It is raining." Grabbing his hand, she cooed, "I know" and dragged him below deck to eat on the bed.

It wasn't long before Nikolas noticed her shivering. So being the gentleman that he was, he removed his jacket to wrap around her noting that she was cold. Setting aside the rest of the food, Claudia said, "Thank you for the jacket but aren't you cold too? You still have wet clothes on." Cold he was but wanting to take care of her, Nikolas answered, "You also have wet clothes on and I will be fine." Taking off his jacket first, Claudia looked at him, "Then I guess I will just have to take them off… There are other ways to warm up." Starring at her with his mouth open, Nikolas watched as she kicked off her shoes, took off her shirt and started to shimmy out of her skirt. Stepping closer to her, Nikolas reached out to touch her cheek, "You are beautiful. So beautiful." With love in her eyes, she kissed him softly. Breaking apart so that he could remove his clothing, Nikolas thought he would love her forever. With that thought in mind, he made love to her gently, tenderly and with his whole heart.

Five months later, Nikolas was still completely in love with Claudia. All he wanted to do was be with her for the rest of his life. He would give up everything he knew to do so. As long as they were together, he didn't care if he was a prince and had all the power and money the title brought. Ready to leave everything behind he looked at rings and thought of the best way to ask Claudia to marry him. Figuring that lies and secrets would upset her he decided to also tell her that he was Prince Cassadine.

Finally ready to propose and tell Claudia everything about himself and his family, Nikolas brought her to Greece for trip to Athens. Once in Athens, Nikolas and went shopping. Of course, Claudia stopped and tried on the shoes; she seemed to love them. Every time they went shopping she would look at shoes. For some reason Nikolas never questioned this, he sensed that it was a girl thing; women love shoes. It didn't bother him most of the time if she got any she paid herself. Not that he would mind buying her shoes if they made her happy. Today, she didn't get any because she loved the red strappy shoes she had on. Although she had some black and white ones, she had a lot of red shoes.

Moving past the shoes, they were looking at some clothes when Nikolas picked out a spaghetti strapped sundress for Claudia. Obliging to his wishes, Claudia went to try on the white dress if not only to make him happy but because she did like the red rose and black vine design on it. Coming out of the dressing room, Nikolas could not keep his eyes off her. She looked amazing with the dress fit her just right and hugging all her curves perfectly. Laughing at his mouth agape, Claudia giggled, "I guess you like the dress." Nodding his agreement, Nikolas approached Claudia. With a few quick kisses, they stepped back into the dressing room together. In the midst of a heated make out session that was quickly heading somewhere else, Claudia pulled away telling him they were going to get caught and in trouble if he didn't stop. Knowing she was right he stepped away and collected himself so that he could take her hand and lead her to the cashiers to purchase the dress she was wearing before heading to lunch.

While having lunch at the Parthenon, Nikolas was attempting to talk to Claudia about their future and his familiar past. Holding her hand to ground himself, Nikolas couldn't find the words he had practiced so many times. His hands were getting sweating and he was trying not to stutter too much. Claudia wondered if something was wrong with Nikolas; he was always so calm and collected. Well, almost always. She could always hit the right buttons to make him more… emotional. It was these moments they were both truly themselves. Unreserved. Unwatched. Uncontrolled. Free to be whoever they wanted. Free to love whomever they wanted. Free to do whatever they wanted.

Sensing his… discomfort Claudia tried to make him laugh or smile. Even resorted to smearing whipping on his face. Huffing Nikolas wiped it off with his right hand. Taking his right hand Claudia licked the whipping off and sucked on his fingers eliciting a mischievous smile. Claudia was happy with his response until he smeared whipping on her nose. Removing his fingers from her mouth and pulling her close, Nikolas kissed the whipping off her nose and then worked his way to her mouth. Within seconds, Claudia started to giggle and kissing him back. They were keeping it appropriate, say PG-13, because they were out in the open public view. In between quick kisses, they would rub their noses together. Nikolas couldn't help but think she looked adorable when she crinkled up her nose. Nikolas moved his hand from her cheek to her waist to hold her close. Foreheads pressed against one another, she told Nikolas, "I Love You." While this was not the first time she said it, it wasn't something she said very often especially without him saying it first. With their hands still entwined, Nikolas brought their hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers before telling her, "I Love You Too."

**don't forget to read chapter two- it is the last chapter and I am including Helena in this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: this is a direct continuation from chapter one. just a few minutes later. **

Nikolas and Claudia had their foreheads pressed together, and entwined hands on their laps when they were interrupted. Upon finding Nikolas and a young black-haired woman kissing, Helena snidely reprimanded, "Nikolas, I see what has distracted you from your studies and taken all of your time." Removing her hand from his cheek and backing away, Claudia asked confused, "I'm sorry… Who are you?" Looking at her as if she were completely stupid, Helena answered, "I'm his grandmother" before turning her attention to Nikolas, who was pulling Claudia closer with the arm he had wrapped around her waist, "What do you think you are doing? I told you to find an appropriate suitor not to go off with the first tart to catch your fancy." Claudia wanted to say something to defend their relationship and herself but didn't know exactly what to say. Fortunately, Nikolas cut off Helena's rant quickly, "what I do and who I choose to do it with is none of your concern."

Unsatisfied with his response, Helena continued, "Nikolas, you need to think about your future…" Not wanting this to be how he proposed to Claudia or how she found out about his family and their heritage, Nikolas interrupted, "I am thinking about my future. I love Claudia" as he got up from his seat. Getting angry with Nikolas, Helena went on, "You are not thinking with your brain. You will need to take an appropriate wife." Pulling out Claudia's seat so that she may get up to leave with him, Nikolas insisted, "I am thinking just fine. You don't even know Claudia." As Nikolas helped Claudia up, Helena interjected, "I don't need to know her. I have chosen a few candidates appropriate for a prince. You will review and take one as your wife." With the cat out of the bag so to speak, Nikolas picked Claudia up exclaiming as he left before Helena could say anymore, "No, I won't. Good Day."

Once they were away from Helena, Claudia asked, "What was your grandmother talking about?" She even used a questioning tone when she said grandmother. Of course he picked up on this and confirmed that Helena was his grandmother but insisted that she was insane. Sensing there was more Claudia goaded him into tell her the rest. Without much trouble Nikolas explained in more detail than he had previously with Claudia, his family dynamic including life with his uncle and grandmother instead of his parents. Although Nikolas tried to get around telling her about his family heritage, Claudia knew there was something he wasn't telling her. When she went to leave upset that he would not sure, Nikolas finally told her that his full name and title was Prince Nikolas Mikhail Starvosovich Cassadine. Nikolas tried to explain why he didn't tell her and that he was going to give it up for her but Claudia just left. She said she needed to go home and think about things. Nikolas worried that he was losing her but didn't force her to stay. He knew it would just make it worse so he returned to his family island and prepared how he would tell Claudia everything.

It was still early in the evening when Claudia got back to her uncle's compound but she felt sick. And sick she was. She skipped dinner because she was in her bathroom throwing up. When her stomach finally settled down a little, Claudia got into the shower to clean up but just ended up thinking about Nikolas. She didn't know what to think. While she loved him, he had kept secrets from her. Claudia was never comfortable with people she loved lying to her and keeping secrets. Although her world meant that everyone lied and kept secrets, she loved that Nikolas was different. For some reason she found it very hard to lie to him and even told him about her family. Maybe it was not everything but it was more than she had ever told anyone and he got the idea; her family was dangerous. But that didn't help her now, she felt hurt. It wasn't a huge betrayal but it still made her cry and feel sick again. So she just went to bed and curled up in a ball to hide her pain.

It was late afternoon when Helena slipped into the compound after bribing some guards. Further into the compound Helena found more guards and servants but was unable to slip by them all. With bribery not working, Helena killed those that openly refused her and drugged the others just for good measure. Finally finding Claudia's room Helena prepared to kill her if the girl didn't see reason. What Helena didn't expect was to find Claudia still lying in bed asleep. Chuckling to herself at how easy this was going to be Helena approached the bed with her knife outstretched.

Although Claudia still felt ill she heard her bedroom door open and was about to tell them to leave her alone when she heard an unfamiliar chuckle. Realizing that it was Helena she got up to distance herself from the elder woman just before Helena went into slit her throat. Unable to get out of her bedroom, Claudia grabbed the gun in her nightstand prompting Helena to lower her knife and claim that she just wanted to talk. While Claudia didn't believe Helena she wanted to know about Nikolas so she agreed but kept her gun close. Helena explained the royal Cassadine family and Russian heritage. All the while making sure Claudia knew that she didn't fit into Nikolas's life.

Claudia didn't know how but Helena knew things about her, and her family. Helena even got Claudia to agree that Nikolas didn't fit into her life, because Claudia knew her family wouldn't take to him. Claudia tried to argue that he would be safe but then Helena brought up Claudia's father Anthony. With no response from Claudia, Helena told her, "You will stay away from Nikolas because you don't fit into each other's lives. He is a Russian prince and has obligations. You are the daughter of a mobster, who would kill Nikolas if he learned of your affections." Getting angry Claudia argued, "My father won't find out and even if he did he does not care about me…" Sensing that Claudia was getting ready to fight her, Helena interrupted, "But you care about your family. You will stay away from Nikolas or your brother will die." Her brother, Johnny was just a child and Claudia had loved him as her own son even though he was only her half brother and their father regarded him differently than her. Claudia's instincts told her to protect Johnny but Helena had already gone saying, "Don't give me a reason to have my men kill John. You will leave Nikolas alone or I will kill you and your family I would love to do nothing more."

Running after Helena, Claudia boarded a ship but stayed out of sight because she didn't know who else was there or what Helena had planned for her family. Claudia thought I could kill her right now. She told herself she could because she had to protect Johnny. But she was afraid that Helena had men in New York that could and would kill Johnny whether Helena called or not. She couldn't be certain whether the order was to watch and wait for the order or to kill him if I don't check in. That was a common order or addition to the order because the boss could be in danger. The entire way all Claudia could think about was Johnny and Nikolas. She realized that the best way to protect John was to listen to Helena but she had no guarantee that her brother would be safe. And something told her Nikolas was not safe with Helena. Realizing that her family's saying was true: Love Kills. Claudia decided she had to leave Nikolas, if only until she knew Johnny was safe. She told herself that it was only going to be a little while. She would find out what Helena was up to and make sure that everyone she loved was safe. While Nikolas could be in danger, at least Helena seemed to want him alive.

When they stopped, Claudia found that they were at a beach. All she saw was one large house in the distance with a few smaller houses near it and some rocks and alcoves along the edge of the water. Claudia searched for Helena so she could continue following her but Helena was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, Claudia felt sick again so she snuck over to one of the alcoves in the rocks and threw up. Cursing the bumping boat ride here while she was cramped in a small hiding place, Claudia hated being seasick. But she blamed Helena for this. She was fine yesterday until she met Helena…and found out what Nikolas had been keeping from her. Taking a this time while she recovered to think about Nikolas, Claudia tried to gage how she was going to do what had to be done. While Claudia was in the alcove it started to rain. Muttering that this couldn't get any worse Claudia left to go search for Helena because she knew her best chances were in the darkness.

Clearing all the smaller houses before entering the large one, Claudia had no luck finding Helena. The last thing Claudia expected to find was Nikolas, who had heard someone sneaking around and awoke to investigate. Seeing that it was Claudia, Nikolas went to kiss her hoping that everything was alright between them. Startled by his presence and loving the feel of him holding her and kissing her, Claudia was torn for a moment before she stepped back sneezing. Taking in her soaking wet appearance, Nikolas grew concerned, "You must be freezing cold from travelling here in this weather… Wait how did you get here?" But Nikolas's attention was diverted when she started coughing, "Are you alright? Let's get you to bed in some dry clothes and I will go get you some soup." Nikolas escorted her into his bedroom, turned on the lights and headed to the dresser for some clothes. But moments later someone else started to stir, "What's going on, Nikolas?"

Surprised by the woman in his bed wearing only one of his dress shirts, Nikolas dropped the clothes he had just grabbed for Claudia and backed into the dresser nearly knocking over its belongings. Before Nikolas could say anything to the strange woman, Claudia left his bedroom. More concerned about Claudia Nikolas ran after her, "Claudia, Please wait." Catching up to her Nikolas tried to explain, "this isn't what it looks like. I have no clue who she is?" Interrupted by the mysterious woman, "Nikolas, aren't you coming back to bed?"Claudia took off again. Nikolas told the woman, "Go Home. And Leave me alone. I never want to see you on my island again" before he ran after Claudia.

Grabbing her arm before she got out of the house, "Claudia, Please, You have to believe me. I didn't sleep with that woman. I have no clue who she is or how she got here." Starting to cry, Claudia pulled away from him. Holding onto her face so that she was looking up at him, Nikolas continued, "Claudia, I Love you. You have to believe me. I wouldn't ever hurt you like that. I Love you more than anything." Out of habit she answered quickly "I Love you too, Nikolas, but…" Sensing this might by going south, Nikolas interrupted, "please say you believe me." Seeing the sincerity in his eyes Claudia said, "I…I believe you…" Relieved Nikolas immediately went into kiss Claudia. Crying again but kissing him with everything she had, Claudia knew she had to stop now if she wanted to save herself and John or she never would.

Stepping back Claudia repeated herself, "I Love you and I believe you,… but we can't do this… not right now" and she went to leave. Wanting to argue with her and make her stay, Nikolas stepped in front of her, "Claudia. I'm sorry. I didn't tell you sooner. Please just stay and I will tell you everything. I Love you." Starting to waiver, Claudia turned away from him, "Please, if you love me, just let me go." Hearing the pain in her voice and seeing in on her face as she turned from him, Nikolas felt the pain coming off of her and stepped aside so that she could leave, "Please, come back when you are ready. Our love could and should survive this bump in the road. Just think about things and please give me a second chance when you can."

It was only a few weeks later when Nikolas received word of his half sister Lesley Lu needing a donor. He had never met her but she was just a child and he couldn't refuse to help because of the choices their mother made. Looking around at the life he had here, Nikolas felt that going to Port Charles would be best for him. Greece felt lonely without Claudia to make it feel like a home. He had tried to see her but just watched from the distance as her uncle brought her to meetings. It seemed to Nikolas that he was trying to use her to close business deals. When she pulled away from these men trying to touch her, Nikolas hoped that it was because she still loved him. But she never came back to the island and when he thought she saw him in Italy watching her she just ignored him. Without much hope at a future with her in Greece Nikolas left to go save his sister and meet his maternal family for the first time in his life.

When Claudia had asked Rudy if she could go away to school, Rudy had thought it was weird but agreed to think about it. Looking back Claudia seemed interested in the family business a little when she first got to Italy but as time went on she seemed less and less interested. She was hardly ever around and never had any questions about the family or the business. A few weeks ago she had asked about her brother Johnny but she was not allowed to see him. Rudy had some men check in and told her John was fine which seemed to comfort her. But she was still distant and didn't spend much time with him except dinner sometimes. She had definitely gotten the Italian stomach. She loved food especially pasta. To think of it he had only seen her sleep and eat the last three weeks. While she went to lunch or dinner meetings with him she was rude to their associates after she ate. And she was refusing to be part of any of his business deals.

Figuring that going away to school was best for her, Rudy agreed to let her go. She had a high school education well more than its equivalent being home schooled. But Anthony was never going to let her be a part of the business and Rudy was not having much luck getting her to fit into their world in a way appropriate for a woman. Yes she seemed braver and more outspoken since she got here but he suspected that was more because Anthony wasn't around than himself. Letting Anthony know she was going to school was just a matter of etiquette. While Anthony didn't like it, he let her go as long as she stayed away from John, who now had extra guards.

Moving in with her Aunt Lynn and uncle so that she could go away to school, Claudia thought what the hell I am 18 years old and I can't even go to college without having a babysitter. The only good thing about it was that Anthony didn't know Lynn and being her mother's maternal half sister meant that she wasn't close with Rudy either. With Lynn helping her settle in, it didn't take long to unpack her stuff. Lynn's house was nice and they were great with her. Encouraging but not demanding. Starting to feel like home, Claudia adjusted quickly without a lot of stress.

Having been at her aunt's house for the past four weeks Claudia realized that she had bigger problems than just attending school for the first time. She still found that she didn't have a lot of energy and spent too much time sleeping. Her eating habits had changed causing her to put on some weight. So she would exercise more but it didn't help. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, she knew she was pregnant. She had missed her last two periods and all the excuses she could come up with didn't work. When you combined her lack of energy, increased sleeping and eating habits, the weight gain and the length of time she hadn't had her period.

She was starting to worry again. Claudia didn't know what a baby would mean for her new life at school with her aunt. Let alone what would happen when everyone else found out. Nikolas would be the father but she couldn't see him. She knew her father was a threat to any child she had but she was not sure what would Helena do. Sure she suspected she was pregnant before she left Uncle Rudy's compound but she just brushed it off as stress from her breakup with Nikolas and Helena's threats. Nothing had happened to John but Helena had disappeared so she couldn't be certain. Nikolas was around. She felt him even when she didn't see him staring at her from a distance. But she never said anything. She couldn't no matter how much she missed him and wanted a future with him.

When her aunt found her throwing up again, she insisted that Claudia go to see the doctor. Lynn accompanied her to make sure she didn't leave. Claudia wasn't surprised when the doctor said she was about 11 weeks pregnant. What did surprise Claudia was that her aunt was willing to help. Lynn didn't judge Claudia for getting pregnant without getting married first. She didn't tell her she was too young to have a child or that she would be a horrible mother. Once Claudia told Lynn the general details about Nikolas and Helena, Lynn encouraged her to tell him about the baby but never forced her.

As the months went by Claudia prepared for the baby with Lynn's help. Lynn had never had any children of her own but she knew a lot about them for which Claudia was grateful. Once when her aunt and uncle went to visit family, Claudia went to see Nikolas but nobody was on the island, so she went home. Claudia wondered where he was; she hoped he was alright. She didn't think Helena would do anything to him without an appropriate heir. If Helena had her way, Nikolas was probably married to some woman with a title like princess, duchess, or some other crap like that. While the idea of Nikolas with someone else saddened Claudia, she hoped that he was happy and that whomever he was with loved him and wouldn't end up hurting him. He deserved someone who was worthy of his love that could make him happy not just someone Helena wanted him with.

**please review. I wanted to end it on a positive note. I may write this into another story or crossover but thought i would try to get some feedback on this first. I haven't really decided if i want claudia to have a boy or girl. i know gh says she had a boy (johnny) but i think that sucks to put it politely. they were only a few years apart according to them (the show) and even the actor/actress were close in age so i say he is her brother. if she had a child johnny is covering for said kid and changed all relevant information. (age/paternity/gender - maybe)**


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